A NIGHT IN WAEREBO

My
whole Flores trip started with Waerebo as my first destination. The trigger was
Asoka Remadja’s amazing picture of Waerebo in his Instagram. At that point I
was hooked.

Time
passes by and finally the day has come! I arrived in Labuan Bajo by 4 PM and
took the travel to Cancar where I visited my friend’s house. I spent the night
there and early in the morning took the most expensive Ojeg I’ve ever taken in
my whole life. It cost me Rp 200.000,- for a ride from Cancar to Dintor, the
last stop any vehicle can pass before Waerebo.

Everyday view in Flores.

Obama look-a-like ojeg driver.

Ojeg selfie at around 6 AM. Be sure to pack warm clothes, Flores can be really cold.

Signs and directions are visible along the way. Kind locals will definitely show you the way to Waerebo as well. It is not impossible for you to rent a motorcycle and drive on your own too, just be careful of the up and down road.

For
a cheaper ride, here’s what you can do:

Go to Ruteng, which is 5 hours from Labuan Bajo
Airport. A lot of travels will provide you this transportation service with
only Rp 100.000,- up to Rp 150.000,-.

Take the Otocolt to Dintor afternoon time. This
only costs Rp 25.000,-, very affordable, yet be ready to experience 5 hours of
Dangdut, wooden bench and open air.

I
didn’t have the time to wait for the Otocolt, that was why I took the ojeg at 5
AM in the morning and reached Dintor at 10 AM. Thank God I brought me neck
pillow, which later on I used as a cushion during my 5 hours ojeg ride.

Upon
reaching Dintor, look for Pak Blausius or Pak Marthin. These two are brothers that own
two different lodgings. The better one, in my opinion, belongs to Pak Marthin
and the last time I checked, the prices are the same. You can choose to stay a
night and hike tomorrow or directly hike upon arrival. It all comes back to your
arrival time because hiking to Waerebo takes approximately another 4 hours.

As I
mentioned, I didn’t have enough time. That's why I started hiking at 11 AM with
a tour guide named Pak Kornelius. The hike was enriching, as he would teach me
a lot of stuffs like coffee and alcohol making in Flores, at the same time the
bond grew. He is a hard-working man who has been trying to supply for his
family of 7. Life in Flores is tough.

The
guide cost me Rp 250.000- for 2 days 1 night. The price increases if you stay
longer. If you wish to stay very long, you can ask the guide to leave you alone
and come back later to pick you up, this way the cost is cheaper.

Waerebo
has sets of rules that tourists need to follow. One of them is coming with a
tour guide. Wanderers coming without a tour guide will be welcomed as long as
they are willing to pay for a guide, or else they will be kicked out of the
village. One tourists group came to Waerebo without a guide and refuses to pay
for one. They were kicked out immediately without any chance to take a picture.

After
4 hours of devastating hike, I reached Waerebo at around 1 PM. I believe you
can do faster if you leave your carriers at the lodge.

The moment my shoe gave up on me after the hike.

Once arriving, you need
to sound the “kentongan” as a sign of traveler coming in so the villagers can
get ready. The villagers are the nicest. They will greet you with a smile and
introduce their names to you.

Don’t
take any pictures before you talk to the chief of the village first. This time
you need to pay another Rp 50.000,- for a short welcome ceremonial. The chief
will pray to the ancestors to keep you safe as the new son/daughter of Waerebo.
It was pretty cool!

Here’s a list to help
you prepare financially for a Waerebo trip:

Waerebo guide – Rp
250.000,-

1 night in Waerebo –
Rp 325.000,-

Welcoming ceremony –
Rp 50.000,-

A visit to a water
fountain (optional) – Rp 50.000,-

Total: Rp 675.000,-

Life
in Waerebo is pretty chill. Relax, play soccer with the local kids, shower at the
water spring that is said can give you love and fertility or might as well use
this opportunity to teach the kids a few knowledge. They lack education resources such as books, teachers and even nutrition.

There is
nothing much you can do with no signal on your phone. Actually, there is nothing else you should do aside from enjoying the tremendous warmth and beauty.